LadyHawke and the Little Wolf
by Glyphron
Summary: Having no way to forsee such a terrible fate, Hawke and Fenris find themselves trapped within a curse that keeps them apart. Though they remain at each other's side, they cannot truly be together. But, could there be a way to remove such an affliction?


*Dragon Age 2 and Ladyhawke crossover. Disclaimer! I do not own any Dragon Age characters except my version of Hawke. Also, I am not the one who originally came up with this idea of a crossover. I saw it being used somewhere else. But, MY OWN ideas on how it COULD crossover kept haunting my mind, so I finally wrote them down. (One Shot) Please enjoy*

Fenris could never have foreseen what exactly laid in wait for them when he led Hawke to The Hanged Man to meet Varania with him. The red haired elven lady spoke to him, calling him by a long lost name, something from a previous life he would never retrieve from the depths of the past. Something was bleeding through her words and, at first, he could not decipher what it was. Letting some semblance of joy overtake him for but a moment before he finally caught onto what lay beneath what she had said. He realized it was shame as Hawke confirmed his worst fears. In that moment he looked up to see the man he hated most leisurely stepping down the stairs to join them. After breif but heated words exchanged between them had come the unavoidable conflict, slave against master.

Hawke was right beside him every step of the way, her blade shadowing his. She protected him from onslaughts of slavers as he pursued Danarius and tore demons and shades apart as they came for him. He was lulled into a sense of security, knowing she would never leave his side and all his worries that they would not make it fell away. He never expected their sinsiter fate and was thus caught defenseless when it came. A pause in the battle as the Magister smirked with glee, magic swelling in his hands.

"It seems she cares for you a great deal. And I suspect you do in turn."

"Silence demon!" Fenris spat.

"Hawke... What a hilariously fitting name. The irony this will make..." Danarius continued to laugh.

Fenris replied with a heavy swing, an expected move that was easily dodged.

"I shall bind both of you in chains. Ones that cannot be broken so easily as iron metal."

Fenris did not understand, taking him for a madman. But, the magic was released and it swelled around both he and Hawke's beings, consuming them. As it cleared, Fenris looked down at himself, puzzled by the illusion that nothing had happened. Just behind him, he heard Hawke's sword clash to the floor and his heart jolted in panic as he turned to look upon her.

She stood bathed in the afternoon sun that beamed through the pub's windows. Swaying slightly, he called out her name, and she answered with his in a frightened tone. He could not see any ailment to her, but he knew something was very wrong. She blinked hard and, when she opened her eyes, her pale irises were no longer human. Lifting her hand, she looked upon it, golden light streaming through her fingers. They shifted, her whole being changing, taking form as something else. Eyes wide with terror and confusion, he watched her transform into a flurry of wings and feathers. Until, at last, all that stood before him was pale colored red tail hawk trying to lift itself up from the floorboards into flight. As beautiful in it's inhuman form as the woman who was there a heartbeat ago.

Shaking himself from his shock, he turned to his cackling master, demanding what he had done as the bird continued to struggle. At first, he would not answer, taking the opportunity to attack Fenris instead. Desperate to undo what had been wrought upon his 'LadyHawke', he managed to avoid the strike and respond in kind. The battle raged on for what seemed like ages afterward, Fenris fighting the whole war like a man possessed. His spur of emotion and strong will brought him victory in the end, and he struck Danarius down. Clinging onto the fringes of life, the terrible man finally answered his victim's curiosity.

"I have bound the both of you to a curse. You may be together, but you will always be apart. As the sun rises every day, so will she as a wandering bird. A hawk. Only granted human form once more as the sun sets and the moon rises. By which you will become a restless wolf. Only to transition back upon morning's call, the same call that will overtake her into her winged form again. And it will be thus, as long as there is day and night. This is a long forgotten magic, almost as old as time itself."

"Release us from this curse, Danarius!" Fenris had threatened him.

But it was of no use... Given no other choice, he killed his master. Ensuring he would not be able to inflict anything worse on them in the future. With that done, he turned and knelt down, gathering up the shrieking creature onto his gauntlet. The hawk calmed herself and looked to him with those piercing eyes and he begged her forgiveness, assuring her they would find a way to break the spell cast over them. He stroked the edge of her wing ever so carefully, leaving to make way to their mage allies. He had hoped they would know of a way to reverse this magic.

But, not even the Keeper was capable of aiding them, unlike all the times before when strange magic was involved, she could do nothing. Both Anders and Merril swore to keep searching until both he and Hawke were free, working endlessly to find clues. Leaving the two to endure the cycles of day and night in the meantime. An agonizing and unending cycle that never got easier, as frustration mounted in Fenris's heart.

All this time there were so many things he had wished to say to her, but kept to himself. And now, when he could not speak and have her understand his words, there were vast expanses more he wanted to tell her. It was infinitely more difficult to have all of these words confined within his mouth because he could not tell her than it was when he would not and he was becoming reckless with desperation to end this madness. He wondered if it were the same for her.

The first few weeks were the hardest, as they tried to become accustomed to the ritual of transformation. Fenris was taught falconry by Sebastian who, as a prince, had learned it at a young age. This was so that he could keep control of her, keep her from flying away never to return. And Hawke, being Ferelden and experienced with dogs, trained him as a wolf to be tame, so that he too would remain with her. All of their companions noted their love for each other, feeling it was more pronounced than ever before.

He would recognize her... As a wolf. He would not fully understand why he knew her while in that form, or why he loved her. But he easily accepted her, never straying too far and guarding her from harm. And, when he would become an elf again, he would recall it like a hazy dream and wonder if all of it was real. He assumed she could recognize him to an extent as well. She had been so easy to train as noble bird of prey, calm and willing. Her kindness even lingered, trapped within her feathered breast. He was certain of it when she would bring him a kill freshly made without command.

There were moments, times between the prevalence of day or night when they could interact for just a few heartbeats. They were few and far between as it would have to be timed just right to be successful in letting them truly see each other. He would go to speak but get caught up in unsurity of what to say first and the beauty of her human form that he rarely got to see through his own eyes. And she, as though she could tell, would smile and go to say something, only to be overtaken by sunlight or he by moonlight and shape shift. He often recalled one of these moments in particular.

They had spent the night roaming together, as they usually did, his paws padding along beside her boots. Morning was fast approaching, and she had guided him to somewhere secluded so that they could change without being exposed. The moon had fallen away behind the mountains, the eastern horizon began to seep colors into the sky. He had been playing insistently in some mud, making her laugh when he paused, looking up at her as he felt the magic begin to wear off. Shifting into his elven body once more, he continued to stare as he crouched in that mud. This made her laugh ever harder, and he had felt a smirk cross his face. It faded as he noticed a tear gathering at the edge of her eye, though the laughter continued. Reaching towards her as the first rays pierced the air, he listened as those expressions of joy turned into the gentle squawks of an amused bird, her form set aglow and turning. She flew away from his touch, chasing the sunrise. And he had stared after her, almost crying out in agony.

Weeks passed into months, that passed into the whole year. It came and went while things had continued to change in Kirkwall, and still this curse had lingered. Even throughout the final straw broken between templar and mage. Having taken place within the evening, it was Hawke who was in control. Enacting real justice upon Anders by executing him for his unforgivable crimes, but siding with the mages and protecting them from the consequences of decisions they had not made.

Even being a mere wolf, Fenris had hesitated at first. But, had come to the same conclusion as he did later upon taking his real form. She was his LadyHawke and, with Danarius gone, he was simply her Little Wolf now. He would not have abandoned her even in the absence of this affliction. Though he had seen it as a mistake, it failed to change anything between them. And they had remained together, even when all of the others had to leave their side. Even when the Inquisition had summoned her presence, undoubtedly unaware of what had become of them that day so long ago.

He had taken her to them, letting her fly ahead and calling her to perch upon his arm when the Inquisitor and Varric approached, telling the Inquisitor as they walked about the their tragic predicament. There was another elf within that place, one they called Solas. They had told Fenris he was an expert in such magics and could possibly find a solution. And Fenris had resigned to let this mage try, feeling less than without hope that he would succeed. But, if there were any chance...

Nights and days were spent without rest in a relentless quest for knowledge, answers. The Inquisitor had kept insisting that Hawke herself was a needed asset in this current crisis. Until, at last, Solas had come to inform them of a possible cure to the magic that bound them in this eternal repetition of changing. If it were to succeed, he and his Hawke would be free from this nightmare. Free to be together as they truly were, not as the curse dictated. If it were to fail, however, the consequences were unknown. They could end up trapped within their animal state or even killed. Anything was possible as an outcome by that point. And Fenris had hesitated at first, not yet willing to risk her safety to achieve relief from his former master's spell.

In light of parting ways with their companions after Kirkwall, and thus being left without anyone to relay messages to one another, Fenris had taken the knowledge of how to write that Hawke had imparted to him to heart. It had begun with him inscribing a letter left for her to find when his time came to become a wild creature. And, he had come to discover a reply from her when he once again became his true self the next morning, just as he had hoped. It had become a precious routine. Throughout the time they had used this method to communicate, they spoke to one another as they'd used to, but he never wrote to her any of the things he wished to tell her. He had been holding out in the hopes that, one day he could say those words to her directly. He felt she deserved as much.

But, as their only window of opportunity was fast approaching, and he could not bear the idea of possibly losing her to this desperate attempt that might break the force that kept them worlds apart without her knowing how he felt, he had summed up those words into a few short letters. Words that he had never trusted anyone to pass to her and were meant for her alone.

I assume members of the Inquistion have informed you of a possible omission to the curse that binds us... I have no doubt that they have also mentioned my hesitation to agree to the ritual. They cannot proceed without both of our consent. I know you would wish to attempt this but, for the possibility of freedom we would be consigning ourselves to something utterly uncertain. And I fear I just don't know where the future leads, do you?

So I have been told, yes. I am willing to see where this leads. And, wherever it leads, I hope we will stay together.

That is my hope as well. We have... Never discussed what happened between us all those years ago...

You didn't want to talk about it...

That night... I remember your touch as if it were yesterday, still. I should have asked your forgiveness long ago. I hope you can forgive me now...

Why did you leave that night, Fenris?

I've thought about the answer a thousand times. The pain... And the memories. It was too much... I was a coward. If I could go back, I swear I would stay. Tell you how I felt.

What would you have said?

Nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you...

I understand. I've always understood. And, I forgive you. I will leave you to decide our fate. Whatever you choose, I am with you.

Promise me you won't die... I cannot bear the thought...

Only if you promise me the same.

Nothing is going to keep me from you...

With his heart now laid bare to her and some peace given unto him from her acceptance of his regret, her forgiveness, he had come to face the Inquisitor. Hawke at his arm, he had submitted to the offer of possible reprieve. The Inquisition had gracefully accepted his consent, preparing the two for the coming ceremony. And the day had come fast upon them. A day fated for an eclipse, when night and day would touch.

Fenris stood still and in place, looking up into the sky from the courtyard where this would all take place. At his gauntlet rested Hawke, as silent and still as he. Her eyes were also gazing into the heights of the sky, and he could feel the desire of her instinctive mind to fly. Yet, she remained as her handler had requested of her, so expertly trained to follow his will. Soon, if all went well, she would have no need to bend to his whims against her own will. For she would no longer bear the will of an animal who's spirit will always be wild. Neither would he. Still, he wondered if apart of her would miss trailing the clouds across the horizon above. Even if only a little.

He caught sight of the moon, slipping across the endless blue heavens to shadow the sun. It was a remarkable sight, the blue turning dusky in its shade. And, as the fringes of the sun met the soft edge of the moon itself, he bent down to place her before him. Looking on with eager eyes as her being was emblazoned in light, changing and becoming human. Her body changed, but the eyes of a raptor remained gazing intensely back at him. He could feel his own irises shifting to become those of a wolf, an effect of day and night overlapping. The magic that held them did not know which form they should take.

Filled with the desperate hope he had lacked until this very moment when they were looking upon each other as they were meant to be for longer than mere seconds, his heart lifted into thrill. She was everything he could remember, pale and beautiful, and glorious in the strange light the eclipse bathed them in. The mages around them began to work their magic, weaving and twisting it around every fiber of both their beings.

She lifted her hand as the ritual commenced, reaching it forward towards his as he mimicked her movements. Slowly, their finger tips came to touch, both smiling at the blessed gift they were experiencing after so long. If this failed, this very instant alone would have made the effort worth the cost. The caress lasted for some time as did their joy, until the moon began to slip past the sun's hold. It departed from the celestial tryst taking place above, allowing sunlight to glance upon her yet again.

Streaming through her fingertips, her body took on the light of an all too familiar glow. A cry of anguish escaped his lips as he expected to see her fingers become the strong feathers of powerful wings. But, the glow seemed to weaken, falter. It lost it's power over her, and faded away leaving her nothing more than human. He realized his own body was undergoing the same transition, until the spell lost its power over him as well. Leaving him nothing more than elf. They were free...

Gathering her into his arms with no thought given about their spectators, he pressed his lips to hers, drinking in her scent with pleasure. And, for a the moments that followed, there was nothing but her with him lost in the connection of kissing. Nothing but the LadyHawke and the Little Wolf...


End file.
